By Kathlean Wolf, with Jan Axelson
Northside News
Our crew leaders were tense as three crews headed in three different directions across the fields. Following a map of the “burn unit,” we walked through an open oak savanna to the point where our part of the burn would begin.
In the distance, we watched the most difficult part of the burn begin; flames 30 feet high rose above the waters of Cherokee Marsh, dark smoke carried high aloft by the fierce heat. It was easy to imagine the adrenaline of the other two teams as they herded the fire using a combination of terrain, mowed fire-breaks and wind direction to ensure the flames never escaped their control.
In April, Jan Axelson, myself and 11 other volunteers joined with a Dane County Parks crew to perform a prescribed burn on 95 acres at Yahara Heights Park, just east of the dog exercise area off Highway M. Periodic burning helps to knock back aggressive plants such as buckthorn and honeysuckle that can crowd out native flowers and grasses.
The burn presented many challenges. At 95 acres, the area was larger than most previous burns performed by county crews. The area encompassed three different landscapes, each requiring a different approach. The prairie was filled with the stalks of previous years’ growth and was tinder-dry due to low humidity, while a wooded area had only scattered leaf litter to fuel the fire. The shoreline wetlands were the wild card since they hadn’t burned in as long as anyone could remember.
As the line of fire made its way along the edge of the marsh, it was time for us to begin. I lit my drip torch, a heavy metal canister that contained a kerosene fuel mix and had a long nozzle ending in a wick, and began walking along a ridge through the trees, dripping a line of fire beside me. Jan did the same along the path below.
The leaf duff burned with low intensity, while the high, hot flames to the west grew closer, roaring and crackling. Two hours after the burn began, we joined with one of the other teams and tackled the center of the park, the main prairie.
Shifting winds presented a constant challenge, as did the proximity of the prairie to homes, evergreen landscape trees, stacks of firewood and piles of brush, and an occasional dog walker who needed to be waved away from our potentially dangerous activity. At times, a patch of tall stems would burn with so much heat it pushed us 30 feet back until the line of fire had consumed the fuel and moved further into the center of the prairie.
At last, I dripped my last line of fire, met by the igniter from the other side of the park, and we stood back to watch. As if it were the grand finale of a fireworks show, the burning center of the field generated fire devils, two swirling funnels that rose 50 feet into the air. A pair of rabbits raced out from the center, and within minutes, the last fire subsided.
Following the burn, members of the crew remained on-site to douse any remaining “smokers” (still-burning logs).
If you are interested in joining the burn team or other volunteer activities at Yahara Heights or other county parks, visit countyofdane.com/lwrd/parks/volunteer.